BUSTED

05.31.14

Tsarnaev Friend Charged With Obstruction

Elise Amendola/AP

A 23-year-old cabdriver from Kyrgyzstan has been indicted for destroying evidence from his computer and lying to police about his relationship with Boston marathon bombing suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Khairullozhon Matanov appeared in court on Friday and was charged with obstructing the FBI’s investigation of the bombings, which killed three and injured more than 260. The indictment quoted Matanov saying that he would support the bombings if they were “done in the name of Islam” or “by the Taliban,” and that, while he sympathized with the victims, he could “explain away the significance of the victims’ deaths on the grounds that everyone must eventually die.” Matanov’s court-appointed defense attorney, however, says the indictment includes “a lot of unsubstantiated allegations” and that Matanov had “no intent to mislead the FBI.”